Chapter 2

On to OpenGL and 3D Computer Graphics

The primary goal for this chapter is to get acquainted with OpenGL and begin our journey into computer graphics using OpenGL as our API (Application Programming Interface) of choice. We shall apply an experiment-discuss-repeat approach where we run code and ask questions of what is seen, acquiring thereby an understanding not only of the way the API functions, but underlying CG concepts as well. Particularly, we want to gain insight into:

  1. (a) The synthetic-camera model to record 3D scenes, which OpenGL implements.
  2. (b) The approach of approximating curved objects, such as circles and spheres, with the help of straight and flat geometric primitives, such as line segments and triangles, which is fundamental ...

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